This disclosure relates in general to the field of component chassis, and more particularly to a chassis bushing assembly.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
The ability to access the internal components of an information handling system such as a computer system is important in the manufacturing of a computer system, the servicing of a computer system and using a computer system. Therefore, the opening and closing of a chassis for an information handling system should be easily done and repeatable without wear on the chassis. To allow for access, chassis are generally composed of two different sections that are coupled together by fasteners such as hinges, screws, or slides that allow for the opening and closing of the chassis without separating the chassis into two separate pieces. A typical chassis design may include one section having two banana-shaped slots with a banana-shaped bushing in each slot with the second section having a fastener assembly coupled to the two sections that travels along the banana-shaped bushing. The fastener assembly traveling in the banana-shaped bushing creates a folder friction hinge and allow for the opening and closing of the chassis without completely separating the two sections.
But the banana-shaped bushings increase the cost of an information handling system because the banana-shaped bushings are specific to each banana-shaped slot. The banana-shaped bushing are not symmetrical and each banana-shaped bushing has tooling specific to each side of the chassis which results in each banana-shaped bushing having its own part number. Therefore, each chassis requires two different banana-shaped bushings. Having two different banana-shaped bushings for each chassis drives inventory control costs by requiring each specific banana-shaped bushing to be keep in inventory resulting in increased costs for the assembly of the information handling systems.
In addition, different chassis have different sized banana-shaped slots so that each chassis has its own specific set of banana-shaped bushings. Therefore, if there are four different chassis each having two banana-shaped slots, none of which are the same, eight different banana-shaped bushing are needed to be kept in inventory at all times which increases inventory costs. And because each banana-shaped bushing is specific to a particular chassis, there is no commonization across the chassis with respect to the banana-shaped bushings and no backwards compatibility with previous chassis designs incorporating the banana-shaped slots.
Another problem with the banana-shaped bushings is that the banana-shaped bushings are costly to manufacture because of the unique shape and the manufacturing material. The banana-shaped bushings are made of a custom resin, such as a glass filled plastic, that is difficult to mold. The plastic mold tooling used to create and mold the banana-shaped bushings wear out more quickly than normal because glass filled plastic is harder to mold than other types of plastics. In addition, the irregular shape of the banana-shaped bushing adds to the manufacturing cost because the shape is more complex and therefore more difficult to mold. Therefore, tool maintenance is high when manufacturing the banana-shaped bushing because molding the banana bushing is hard on the plastic mold tooling and results in the premature wearing of the tooling.
Therefore, a need has arisen for a chassis bushing assembly that is symmetrical with respect to each chassis.
A further need has arisen for a chassis bushing assembly that is common across all chassis designs and backwards compatible with previous chassis designs.
A further need has arisen for a chassis bushing assembly that can be manufactured at a lower production cost.
In accordance with the teachings of the present disclosure, an information handling system and chassis bushing assembly are described which substantially eliminate or reduce disadvantages with previous chassis bushing assemblies. The chassis bushing assembly allows for an inexpensive and symmetrical chassis bushing that is common across both current and previous chassis designs.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a chassis bushing assembly is provided. The chassis bushing assembly preferably includes an outer disc and an inner disc. The outer disc includes a lip and has a first face and a second face. The inner disc includes a shoulder, a third face, and a fourth face, and coaxially mates with the outer disc. A first aperture extends through the first and second faces of the outer disc while a second aperture extends through the third and fourth faces of the inner disc and is coaxially located with respect to the first aperture.
In one embodiment, the chassis bushing assembly includes a chassis having a folder section and base section. The folder section includes at least one folder aperture and at least one emboss while the base section includes at least one curved slot. The inner disc is disposed between the folder section and base section. A mechanical faster is disposed in the first aperture, second aperture, and folder aperture to operably couple the folder section, inner disc, base section, and outer disc and allow the inner disc and the outer disc to travel in the curved slot as the chassis is opened and closed.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, an information handling system having a chassis, a motherboard disposed within the chassis, the motherboard including at least one processor, an outer disc, an inner disc, and a mechanical fastener is provided. The chassis includes a folder section and a base section. The outer disc includes a lip, a first face, and a second face with a first aperture extending through the first and second faces. The inner disc is disposed between the folder section and the base section and includes a shoulder, a third face, and fourth face with a second aperture extending through the third and fourth faces. The mechanical fastener extends through the first and second apertures and couples the inner disc and outer disc.
The present disclosure provides a number of important technical advantages. One important technical advantage is a chassis bushing assembly that is symmetrical with respect to each chassis. Because the chassis bushing is symmetrical, different parts are not required for each of the banana-shaped slots on a chassis. The costs of an information handling system decreases because two different chassis bushings are not required for each chassisxe2x80x94the same inner disc and outer disc are used for each banana-shaped slot. Because the same chassis bushing can be used for each banana-shaped slot on the chassis, the number of parts and therefore the part cost per chassis decreases resulting in a overall decrease in the cost of the information handling system.
Another important technical advantage of the present disclosure is a chassis bushing assembly that is common across all current chassis designs and backwards compatible with previous chassis designs. Having a chassis bushing that is common across all chassis eliminates the need to have an inventory of different chassis bushings for each chassis type. Therefore, inventory costs decrease because only the inner disc and the outer disc need to be kept in inventory instead of a different banana-shaped bushing for each chassis. This results in a decrease in the cost of manufacture for the information handling system due to the decrease in inventory costs. Inventory costs are further reduced because the chassis bushing is backwards compatible with previous generations of chassis types. Therefore, previous types of chassis bushings such as the banana-shaped bushing no longer need to be kept in inventory because the chassis bushing assembly may be used on the older chassis types. Backwards compatibility further reduces inventory costs which further decreases the cost of the information handling system.
Another important technical advantage of the present disclosure is a lower production cost. The lower production cost results in a lower cost for the corresponding chassis and information handling system. The chassis bushing assembly may be manufactured from plastic that is not glass filled which is easier to mold than glass filled plastic. Since non-glass filled plastic is easier to mold, the tooling costs for the production of the chassis bushing decreases and the life of the tools increases. In addition, the disc shape of the chassis bushing assembly of the present disclosure is less difficult to manufacture than the complex and irregular design and shape of the banana-shaped bushing.